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Looking for Jesus according to John

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26) looking for Jesus

John 2: So after making a whip of ropes, he drives all those with the sheep and cattle out of the temple, and he pours out the coins of the money changers and overturns their tables!

- And he tells those selling the doves to take it away from the house of his Father!

- And his disciples recall that it is written: “The zeal for your house will consume me.”

- Man’s tradition against God’s word!

- Think of that: the Jews have no shame!

- They let the merchants sell animals inside God’s temple!

- You just think of that and you understand that they only teach man’s tradition which opposes completely God’s word!

- Then you may understand Jesus’ anger!

- They don’t even respect God’s house!

- Shame on them!
 
27) looking for Jesus

John 3: Jesus asks him how he can be a teacher of Israel and he doesn’t know these things!

- Jesus speak about what he knows and he bears witness about what he has seen but they don’t receive the witness he gives them!

- How will it be possible for them to believe heavenly things if they don’t believe earthly things?

- Think of that : Jesus tells a teacher of Israel and he doesn’t understand him !

- When he is with his disciples, he uses progressive teaching, yet they don’t understand him !

- They need him to die and go away and then they start to understand !

- Moreover, they receive holy spirit to help them understand !

- Do you understand Jesus’ message about what we have to do to understand his message ?

- We can’t let others do the job ?

- We need to work hard individually !

- And nobody knows better !

- It’s just a question of working hard !

- If you don’t do it as when you eat and drink and sleep daily, how can you work hard ?

- How will you understand ?

- Jesus used to teach every day !
 
28) looking for Jesus

John 4: Jesus asks a Samaritan woman for a drink!
- She is surprised because the Jews don’t do that!
- Then he starts to speak with her and teaches her about everlasting life!
- And he tells her about the five husbands she had and the last man she is with is not her husband!
- So she understands Jesus is a prophet!
- He tells her that the hour is coming when the true worshipers will worship God with spirit and truth!
- Then he tells her he is Messiah!
- Then the disciples arrive and they don’t understand why he is speaking with a Samaritan woman!
- The woman comes back with more men to be taught by Jesus!
- Then he tells his disciples that teaching and doing God’s will is more important than eatin!
- Many Samaritans put faith in Jesus and they ask him to stay with them and he stays for two days. And more Samaritans put faith in him!
- Jesus decides to speak with this Samaritan woman because he knows her heart!
- He knows she has been married many times and that she now lives with a man who is not her husband!
- But he has nothing to do with prejudices!
- And in fact, she accepts his message and she helps others to accept his message!
- The disciples can’t understand because they see with man’s eyes!
- Jesus will have a lot of work to do with them but he knows their hearts too!
- He has come for the Jews but in this case he makes an exception!
- He always can adapt to the situation!
- A lot to learn from his attitude!
 
29) looking for Jesus

John 5: A man is there who has been sick for 38 years!

- He can see the man lying and is aware that he has already been sick for a long time!

- So he asks him if he wants to get well!

- Jesus is conscious of man’s pain and sufferance!

- He is also conscious that he has spent a lot of years ill!

- Now participating in God’s creation is one thing!

- But coming down the earth and living as a human being is something else!

- Jesus could feel directly and personally human pain and sufferance!

- He could see it with his own eyes and through human eyes!

- He could also share their pain and sufferance!

-There is nothing better than participating!
 
30) Looking for Jesus

John 5: Jesus tells him to pick up his mat and walk!

- And the man immediately gets well, and he picks up his mat and begins to walk.

- Jesus did many miracles!

- Every time he was precise!

- He knew exactly what he was doing!

- He is a perfectionist!

- He has learned everything from his Father!

- Through a deep collaboration!

- His teachings and his actions are perfect!

- Everything at the right time!

- And he shows us the way!

- But it will never be man’s way!

- Only God’s way!

- And he told us that God’s word was going to be corrupted!

- And we can trace this corruption since the beginning!

- The devil told Adam and Eve that they would not die but they died!

- And the Israelites went after other gods!

- And they mixed God’s word with man’s word!

- And through man’s history, man has been doing the same mixing God’s word with man’s word!

- It is so different from “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”

- Maybe it is too simple so man prefers man’s corrupted word!
 
31) Looking for Jesus

John 5: But he answered them: “My Father has kept working until now, and I keep working.”

- When we look at the universe, “rest” doesn’t mean anything!

- Everything is always in movement!

- Constantly renewing itself!

- There is continuity!

- Thus “God has kept working until now”!

- God doesn’t need to eat or to drink or to sleep!

- And Jesus does the same, he keeps working!

- Once again we must be careful to a translation because it may not mean what we are used to!

- And here I am not speaking about the corruption of God’s word through man’s word or tradition!
 
32) Looking for Jesus

John 5: This is why the Jews began seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath but he was also calling God his own Father, making himself equal to God.

G2470

isos (Key) = adjective
Probably from εἴδω (G1492) (through the idea of seeming)
equal, in quantity or quality
ἴσος ísos, ee'-sos; probably from G1492 (through the idea of seeming); similar (in amount and kind):—+ agree, as much, equal, like.

- Jesus speaks about God as his Father!

- It tells about a strong relationship between God and Jesus, between Father and son!

- They are equal and of the same nature!

- Jesus comes from Heaven!
 
33) Looking for Jesus

John 5: Jesus answers them that the Son can’t do a single thing of his own initiative but only what he sees the Father doing. He does like his Father!

- When we think about a father and his son, when the son is young, he tries to copy his father and gradually he wants to become independent and act as it pleases himself!

- It is completely different from the relationship between God and Jesus because Jesus doesn’t want to become independent, he wants to do like his Father in like manner!

- They have spent so much time together!

- They have made so many things together!

- He has sent his son to the earth to die for men!

- he will come back on earth to make his Father’s will!

- Thus it is difficult for men to understand such a deep relationship!

- With men, nothing lasts!

- Usually fathers and sons have difficulties to understand each other!
 
34) Looking for Jesus

John 5: For the Father has affection for the Son and shows him all the things he himself does, and he will show him works greater than these, so that you may marvel. For just as the Father raises the dead up and makes them alive, so the Son also makes alive whomever he wants to. For the Father judges no one at all, but he has entrusted all the judging to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

- definition of affection: a feeling of liking and caring for someone or something : tender attachment : fondness She had a deep affection for her parents.

- God and Jesus care for each other!

- “God shows the Son all the things he himself does”!

- Here again there is a big difference because the Father shows the son ALL the things he himself does!

- It is so different from a normal father son relationship that people can’t understand it!

- Probably because men are used to make gods at their own image like the ancient Greek!

- But this is no Greek philosophy!

- It goes far beyond basic human philosophy!
 
35) Looking for Jesus

John 5:
Most truly I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes the One who sent me has everlasting life, and he does not come into judgment but has passed over from death to life.

- First we need to hear Jesus’ word!

- Then we must believe the one who sent Jesus!

- Then we can get everlasting life!

- We can speak about a summary!


G191

akouō
(Key)

to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf


  1. to hear
    1. to attend to, consider what is or has been said
    2. to understand, perceive the sense of what is said
  2. to hear something
    1. to perceive by the ear what is announced in one's presence
    2. to get by hearing learn
    3. a thing comes to one's ears, to find out, learn
    4. to give ear to a teaching or a teacher
    5. to comprehend, to understand
G4100

pisteuō (Key)

to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in


    1. of the thing believed
      1. to credit, have confidence
    2. in a moral or religious reference
      1. used in the NT of the conviction and trust to which a man is impelled by a certain inner and higher prerogative and law of soul
      2. to trust in Jesus or God as able to aid either in obtaining or in doing something: saving faith
      3. mere acknowledgment of some fact or event: intellectual faith
  1. to entrust a thing to one, i.e. his fidelity
    1. to be entrusted with a thing
- IT MEANS FAR MORE THAN JUST ONE WORD!
 
36) Looking for Jesus

John 5: “Most truly I say to you, the hour is coming, and it is now, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who have paid attention will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted also to the Son to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to do judging, because he is the Son of man. Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, and those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment.

- Hear!

- Pay attention!

- God has given Jesus authority to do judging!
 
37) Looking for Jesus

John 5: I cannot do a single thing of my own initiative. Just as I hear, I judge, and my judgment is righteous because I seek, not my own will, but the will of him who sent me.

- So powerful!

- And each relationship between God and men such as Job, Daniel, Samuel and others is special!

- But it can’t be compared to the one between God and Jesus!

- Jesus cannot do a single thing of his own initiative: Do you understand what it means?

- He seeks, not his own will, but the will of his Father: can you believe it?
 
38) Looking for Jesus

John 5: “If I alone bear witness about myself, my witness is not true. There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the witness he bears about me is true. You have sent men to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. However, I do not accept the witness from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. That man was a burning and shining lamp, and for a short time you were willing to rejoice greatly in his light.

- John the Baptist bore witness about Jesus!

- Jesus calls him a burning and shining lamp!
 
39) Looking for Jesus

John 5: But I have the witness greater than that of John, for the very works that my Father assigned me to accomplish, these works that I am doing, bear witness that the Father sent me.

- But most important, Jesus’ miracles bore witness about Jesus!

- And he made so many again and again!
 
40) Looking for Jesus

John 5: And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. You have neither heard his voice at any time nor seen his form, and you do not have his word residing in you, because you do not believe the very one whom he sent.

- Jesus knows God’s voice personally!

- Jesus knows God’s form personally!

- Jesus knows God’s word personally!
 
- May I ask a question to everybody ?

- I will let people time!

- Then I will answer too!

- There is no trap!

- WHAT IS ALL THE BIBLE ABOUT EXCEPT THE FACT THAT IT IS GOD’S WORD ?

- There may be different answers depending on the elements we have!
 
  1. About John 1:1

  • As I always hear the same song about John 1:1 and I am tired of hearing it again and again, I am going to have a look at the use of the definite article or not in the book of John!
  • When I look at the translations of John 1:1 in Biblehub, they all say and the Word was God!
  • Now before starting, I am going to repeat that in Ancient Greek, you only get the definite article!
  • When there is no definite article, it corresponds to the indefinite article!
  • So let’s start with John 1:1 I am going to put into pieces!

  • In
Ἐν (En)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

  • [the] beginning
ἀρχῇ (archē)
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 746: From archomai; a commencement, or chief.
  • So here in Greek we don’t have the definite article but we have a preposition followed by a noun (in (the) beginning)

  • was
ἦν (ēn)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

  • the
ὁ (ho)
Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

  • Word,
Λόγος (Logos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3056: From lego; something said; by implication, a topic, also reasoning or
motive; by extension, a computation; specially, the Divine Expression.

  • Here we get the Word (o Logos) that is definite article and noun!

  • and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

  • the
ὁ (ho)
Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

  • Word
Λόγος (Logos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3056: From lego; something said; by implication, a topic, also reasoning or motive; by extension, a computation; specially, the Divine Expression.

  • was
ἦν (ēn)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

  • with
πρὸς (pros)
Preposition
Strong's 4314: To, towards, with. A strengthened form of pro; a preposition of direction; forward to, i.e. Toward.

  • God,
Θεόν (Theon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2316: A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.

  • Once again we get the Word (o Logos) that is definite article and noun!
  • Then we get with God, that is we don’t have the definite article but we have a preposition followed by a noun (with God)!

  • and
  • καὶ (kai)
  • Conjunction
  • Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

  • the
  • ὁ (ho)
  • Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
  • Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

  • Word
  • Λόγος (Logos)
  • Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
  • Strong's 3056: From lego; something said; by implication, a topic, also reasoning or motive; by extension, a computation; specially, the Divine Expression.

  • Again we get the Word that is definite article and noun!

  • was
ἦν (ēn)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

  • God.
Θεὸς (Theos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2316: A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.

  • Here we get a different case that is the noun God (Theos) is alone!
  • There is no definite article and no preposition!
  • So it corresponds to the indefinite article that is a god or having divine origins!
  • To check how John writes, we are going to look at the whole book!
 
1) Jesus vs the religious leaders

John 2: Jesus goes to Jerusalem for the Passover. In the temple merchants are selling animals to make sacrifices and there are also money brokers. With a whip Jesus drives them out of the temple.

- Corruption everywhere!

- Everything was normal!

- Turning God’s word upside down!

- And Jesus has to do that! And the religious leaders haven’t done anything!

- What about today?

- What do you think he will do when he comes back because he will find the same situation?
God's people have been plagued throughout history with corruptions of some, and of course now is no different. He has an identifiable people of course, but just because they are part of His people, does not relinquish those who deceptively shepherd His people, those who are corrupt get revealed, as they have always done, the sad thing is that God's time period is so much slower than ours.

That is why it is sound advice to look at God's people as a whole, and not as individuals. See the progress in how the assignment is being accomplished throughout the world. If one can see the big picture then they can see the spirit of God working through His people.
 
God's people have been plagued throughout history with corruptions of some, and of course now is no different. He has an identifiable people of course, but just because they are part of His people, does not relinquish those who deceptively shepherd His people, those who are corrupt get revealed, as they have always done, the sad thing is that God's time period is so much slower than ours.

That is why it is sound advice to look at God's people as a whole, and not as individuals. See the progress in how the assignment is being accomplished throughout the world. If one can see the big picture then they can see the spirit of God working through His people.
- In the Bible we are told about the faithful servants of God!
- God's people is another story as you have just said!
 
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